


Manifest

by knightnoches



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: AU, Chrobin - Freeform, Dramatic as hell, M/M, Male My Unit | Reflet | Robin, Unbeta'd, grandmaster class robin, in which grima is sealed and lucina morgan and robin all have to deal with the consequences, lord class chrom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 13:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18739963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightnoches/pseuds/knightnoches
Summary: Grima is sealed, and Robin falls into a deep sleep/illness.He awakes, and Lucina, Morgan, and he have to figure out how to deal with the affects of having Grima sealed in them.Certain members of Ylisse are wary of young Morgan when he claims to start talking to Grima.





	Manifest

**Author's Note:**

> I sorta threw up this AU a while ago and figured I would post it as I work on another fea AU. May or may not continue?  
> If you're wondering who gave birth to Morgan and Lucina/how: I have no idea; whatever suits you!

“Hey there!”

Robin’s heavy eyelids slid back over his eyes.

He gazed up at the sky behind Lissa and Chrom from where he lay on the grass.

It was purple.

Dark clouds twisted and groaned, and it started to rain.

“There are better places to sleep than on the ground, you know.”

Robin didn't respond.

Felt the effort it took to move his eyes to look at Chrom’s face.

He felt dead. Didn’t bother to move his arms or legs.

“I haven’t seen that armor in a long time.” Robin huffed weakly, remembering that the real Chrom hadn't worn the one-sleeved outfit in a while.

Chrom didn't respond.

He reached out to help Robin up, and Robin took his hand.

The Mark of Grima didn't glow or have color like it once did, but it wasn't any nicer to look at now.

It had sunk into the skin, grown darker like a burn.

Robin’s wrists were skinny. So was the rest of him. He felt as if he would dissolve as he was pelted with rainwater.

With Chrom’s help, he stood, and closed his eyes.

Waiting for the next thing.

But no words came. Chrom and Lissa were silent—and Frederick wasn’t even there.

Instead, across the grass sat Robin’s other self, Grima.

Doubled over in pain, purple miasma pouring of him, pooling at his knees.

Robin looked down at the dragon and heard thunder crack overhead.

“Not feeling well?”

The dragon let out a pained noise in response.

The front of his shirt had been torn open, leaving his chest bare.

It looked as if it had been stained with deep purple ink, and the substance flowed easily over Grima’s grasping hands.

“You… What did you do to me?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Robin sighed and crossed his arms.

“Chrom’s the one who sealed you away.”

“I’ll tear your fucking larynx from your throat.”

“That’s quite a step down from your previous threats.”

Grima gurgled, black liquid sliding from his nose and over his chin.

“What did you do to me?”

Robin sat down harshly, mostly for the fact that he couldn’t bear to stand much longer.

“I told you, I didn’t do anything.”

Grima looked up at Robin for the first time, glaring. The two extra sets of eyes on his face looked around frantically in all directions. Robin smiled.

“I love him.”

Robin swayed a little bit.

“I’m sure you knew that. You did have quite the effect on our daughter, after all.” He sighed. “That girl always was too brash. She gets it from her dad, I’m sure.”

The tactician moved to get a look at Chrom and Lissa, who stood on either side of him like dolls.

“Have you ever felt pain? Your own pain, I mean. Not the kind offered to you.”

Grima didn’t respond. Not that Robin had expected him to.

“We’re the same, remember? You said it yourself.”

He traced the mark of the exalt in the grass.

“And I miss my family. I got to go back for a little bit, and say my goodbyes in case, but… I’m sick because of you. I’m going to be here a bit longer.”

Another strangled noise escaped Grima.

“I think you’re catching up with everything I felt.”

Robin fell on his back and looked up at the sky, listening to Grima as he started to scream.

* * *

 

 

It didn’t stop after the first time. Robin didn’t know how long it had been, but he figured maybe it had been a few days?

A few weeks?

There was no way for him to tell.

Nothing changed, not the scenery, not the weather or what he was wearing or how he felt.

Every once and a while, Chrom and Lissa would move. They would sit down or stand up. That was the extent of variation, though—he hadn’t heard them speak again after the first time. It was hard to tell whether this place was his or Grima’s, though considering the circumstance he supposed it was probably a joint effort.

“Feeling better?” He asked, watching Grima writhe on the grass. By this time, there was a deep violet patch around him, the grass and dirt soaked. The grass had been matted to the soil, and the soil was mud. The constant rain didn’t help.

The dragon didn’t respond. He hardly ever did. Most of his energy seemed go toward babbling and strange noises. Robin recognized what he babbled about, sometimes. Other times though, what left his double’s mouth was indecipherable. Whether that was a blessing, or a curse remained to be seen.

Robin cried, when he had the energy. But often it proved to be a little too much. He already had to deal with Grima’s groaning alongside the thunder—there was no sense in adding to the constant noise.

He guessed he was faring well under the situation. He predicted it would be a different story if he woke up, though. Robin found that while he missed Chrom, his kids, and the rest of the Shepherds, it didn’t quite feel the same as it did before.

* * *

 

He woke up again.

Neither Chrom nor Lissa stood around him. A lantern hung over his head.

A breeze was blowing in from the direction of his feet.

It was quiet, aside from the chirping of a few birds.

The numbness he had been experiencing was being eaten up.

Robin swore he could almost feel each of his nerve endings turning back on, the sensations flooding back into his body---

Felt Arcfire prickle under his skin.

He took a breath in, cancelling it, but it wasn’t going through or he wasn’t thinking clear enough or—

Robin jumped up, (and immediately knew it was a bad idea when his muscles screamed) and hardly saw that Chrom was already scrambling to his side.

He was hyperventilating. He couldn’t stop. The gold rings of the spell were expanding around his arms, torso and neck already, and Chrom was saying something, and he couldn’t stop, and then—

Chrom placed a hand on his chest and looked him in the eye and the cast slowed down.

“Robin.”

No response.

“Robin. Honey, please—”

Robin blinked at him, and Chrom breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay, you’re safe... We’re all safe, everything is okay.”

Robin;s hands were shaking.

“You don’t have to fight anymore. Calm down.”

The rings edged closer and closer to Robin’s skin, nearly completing the cast—

Until they dissipated.

“Good job, honey. You did great.”

Robin felt as if his mind were rocking back and forth on a boat. He was nauseous, hot, cold, all of it. It was the sickest he thought he’d ever been. He could taste sweat on his lips and felt his back sticking to his clothes.

Every part of him ached. It hurt a bit to even move his eyes, and Chrom was taking care to hold him as gently as possible. If it weren’t for his husband, Robin supposed he would have been on the ground and the tent in flames.

It was overwhelming to feel Chrom against him amongst every other sensation. Robin hardly had the strength to sit up though, much less push anyone away. And as overwhelming as it was, he was happy to be in his exalt’s arms.

And so, he cried.

Chrom held him close. His arms were cool around Robin’s searing skin, his nerves still unsteady and shaking with magic energy.

“I love you.”

Robin sobbed and tried his hardest to curl his fingers in the fabric of Chrom’s tunic. The tips of his fingers were oversensitive, and the texture of the fabric was loud against them.

“I love you, Robin, I love you so much.” Chrom pressed kisses to Robin’s forehead and the corners of his eyes. He settled his lips against Robin’s forehead, nose in his hair. Robin’s chest stuttered while sobs struggled out of him.

“The wind at my back. The sword at my side.” Chrom took a deep breath in and continued to mumble loving words to his tactician.

“I love you more than anything.”

Robin could hardly hear him over the sound of his own crying, which was rocking his body even more intensely as his body started to fully wake. Chrom ran his hands through his white hair, hushing him softly. It didn’t work very well—the exalt was crying too, after all.

“You’re fine. You’re okay. It’s over.”

“Chrom!?”

The front flap of the tent was shoved harshly to the side by two hurried healers—behind them stood Libra and Lissa. They had probably been brought upon sensing Robin’s attempt at casting Arcfire.

“Oh, Naga, Robin!” rang Lissa’s voice as she pushed past Libra without a second thought. Chrom sniffed and wiped away his tears before turning his head to address her.

“He just woke up.”

Robin willed himself quieter about his emotional release and managed to genuinely calm down a little bit.

“How is everything, is he ok? Does everything seem normal?” Lissa’s fretting came at full speed and she quickly pulled a tome from the nightstand.

“He started to cast a spell as soon as he woke up, I can’t tell if—”

“Ok. Here—” Lissa reached for Robin but was prevented by Chrom moving him away from her suddenly.

“Chrom!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean…” Chrom took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Lissa’s expression softened. “It’s okay.” She looked to Robin, whose full weight (however slight it was,) rested on Chrom’s chest.

“Robin, are you able to sit up on your own? I want to check to see if everything’s in order, okay?”

Robin found he was having a hard time meeting Lissa’s eyes. Chrom drew close to his face and spoke softly.

“Honey, can you sit up straight?”

“I…”

“Here, allow me to help.” Libra interjected, politely making his way between Lissa and Chrom so that he could gently take Robin’s arms. Robin flinched, letting out a small sound of shock at Libra’s touch. Chrom tensed at the noise.

“Chrom…” Lissa said warningly, grip on the tome tightening.

“Is this hurting you?” Libra asked gently. When Robin shook his head no, Lissa could see her brother’s posture relax.

Chrom warily and slowly let Robin go as Libra helped to steady him. Chrom stood next to the bed, as close as he could without getting in Libra’s way.

“Do you think you can sit up on your own?”

Robin shook his head tiredly again and his neck was sore from it.

“Okay. I’m going to set you up against these pillows.”

Libra looked at the two clerics, who came to his aid in stacking some pillows and settling Robin against them, so that he was nearly sitting up. The pillows held his weight alright and he hardly had to strain his neck, so Robin didn’t have any problem with it. Libra and Lissa stood on Robin’s left side, and Chrom moved quickly to Robin’s right so that he wouldn’t get in the way of their work. Chrom placed his hand atop Robin’s, looking him up and down over and over, searching for any sign of something wrong. Libra studied Robin’s eyes, ears, and lifted his arm, bending it at the elbow.

Libra took a deep breath in and pressed a glowing palm to the center of Robin’s chest underneath his tunic.  Robin’s uneven and stuttering breath began to even out. Lissa and Libra exchanged looks and traded places. After doing so, Lissa began to recite the spell.

After about 30 seconds, she closed the tome with finality.

“He’s fine.” She spoke seriously. When Chrom looked up at her, teary eyes, she cracked a bright smile. “You’re okay, Robin.”

“You need to gain weight.” Libra said with crossed arms. The two clerics who had come with him were already shuffling out of the tent. “You can handle that, can’t you?”

Robin managed a smile.

“Good. Other than that, there shouldn’t be any more physical problems other than what you’re expecting, I’m sure. Those all come with waking up from something like this. Stay away from magic, as well.” Libra concluded. “I can’t vouch for anything else, though, Robin.” He said seriously.  “It’s going to be hard. I know you’ve been through this before, but this will probably be much worse than anything you’ve experienced previously. Learning to control that magic is going to be hard too. There’s also no telling what the psychological repercussions are going to be. In the event anything should happen, please reach out to myself or another healer.”

Libra’s voice was always gentle, and Lissa’s boot tapping rapidly against the tent floor was easy to hear.

“Lissa.” said Libra.

Lissa jumped, bringing her rod to her chest in shock.

“Yes!”

Libra gave her a look and Lissa began to speak.

“Oh, yes, um—” Lissa swallowed, “of course, no one has ever woken up from something of quite this caliber before, so there’s no true telling of what’s gonna happen. Libra probably has it right. Just be careful, ok?”

Robin nodded dumbly.

Libra uttered a “Naga bless you,” and began to shuffle out with the other healers. Lissa stayed where she was at Robin’s side.

“Uhm!” Lissa spoke up as last healer left. “Robin, I—”

She started to choke up.

“I’m really,” Lissa sniffed, tears flowing, “really, happy to have you back.” At times like this, it was evident that even though she had grown a lot since the war started, Lissa was the youngest of the royal family. She hiccupped harshly as she tried to force her emotions down. Her fingers wrapped around the hem of her dress, and it was then that Robin finally took notice that she was in her pajamas.

He smiled at her as best he could.

Lissa grinned back and tears took detours around her smile. They were roughly wiped away with the back of her hand and Lissa nodded with finality.

“I’ll send someone with food and water, okay? Make sure to rest.”

With once last glance at Chrom, Lissa left the tent, and it was just the two of them. Libra must have cast some sort of healing spell, because Robin found his headache dissipating and Chrom’s hand around his not nearly as grating anymore. He huffed.

“Hey.” Oh. His voice didn’t sound great. Inwardly, Robin sighed. That would probably be something he would have to work on.

Chrom smiled.

“Hey.”

The exalt’s eyes were raw, and Robin could feel that his were too. They must have made an ugly pair in that moment. Robin tapped the cot weakly, asking Chrom to sit with him. Chrom met Robin’s eye and cautiously (already nearing too cautious for Robin’s liking,) settled next to him.

“How are you feeling?” Chrom asked.

“Like that time in Arena Ferox.”

They both laughed.

“I missed you.”

“Missed you too.”

“Lucina’s…?”

“Gone.” Chrom confirmed somberly. “Seems we did our job.”

Robin smiled. He was sorry he wouldn’t get a chance to see his alternate daughter, but he knew that her absence meant they had secured a better future for the Lucina of this timeline.

“I want to go home.” Robin closed his eyes, snuggling closer to Chrom the best he could. Chrom reciprocated gingerly, clearly still afraid to harm Robin.

“Once your strength is back, we’ll go home first thing.”

Robin didn’t want to argue against the condition, so he just focused on how good it was to be awake. He did want to be home right now, though. Sitting in a tent with Chrom, as romantic as it was, played second fiddle to being in Ylisstol with their daughter.

“Okay.” Robin conceded. “Morgan’s gone too, huh?”

“Yeah, we… We talked before he left.”

Robin shifted.

“What about?”

“He never did remember me.”

“Oh, Chrom, that’s doesn’t mean…”

“No, I’m not upset, I know that it’s not important.”

Chrom placed a quick kiss on Robin’s forehead.

“We talked about what it was like where he was from. Everything he remembered was his early childhood with Lucina or living alone with you. It was all hazy for him, up till the end.”

Robin sighed. “My poor boy.”

Chrom smiled. “He said that he felt Naga had blessed him personally, to have been able to fight alongside all of us.”

Robin swallowed and felt tears well up. They slid down his face without his permission, and Chrom ran his hand through Robin’s white hair soothingly on instinct.

Robin rubbed at his eyes with his free hand and ignored the soft chant of “My child, my child” simmering softly in the back of his head.

The two sat there in silence, grateful for the closeness after such a long time apart. Chrom found himself mesmerized by the rise and fall of Robin’s chest. He’d been in that spot a lot over the past few weeks and Robin’s consciousness made the experience much better.

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Like what you see?” He asked, making a jab at his own downtrodden appearance.

Chrom grinned. “Yeah.” Came the honest response.

“Hush.” Robin huffed but cuddled closer to Chrom.

“I missed you.” Said Chrom.

“I missed you too.” Robin responded. “I miss our kids.”

Chrom’s heart ached. Their Lucina, the toddler in Ylisstol, wouldn’t be the same as the Lucina that came back to help them.

Their daughter would know peace.

Both their children would know peace.

(If both children were born. But Chrom didn’t want to think about the idea of Morgan not being born.) Morgan would know his father, Lucina would never have to pick up the sword except for in training, and Robin would never leave him. He would never have to worry about losing him to some greater force, some enemy territory or warlord.

He would make _sure_ of that.

His family would know peace and never suffer at the hands of some hellish creature, and because of that they would never be the same.

The Lucina he’d known was one he’d died for. The Morgan he’d known was one who didn’t know his face.

Chrom held Robin close as he cried again, mind clearing of anything but that action.


End file.
